Written by Sarah Phelps, American Red Cross of Colorado and Wyoming Public Affairs Volunteer
Nothing brings a smile to your face like receiving affection from a canine companion. Imagine being in a hospital bed or veteran home and seeing a beautiful Golden Retriever come in for hugs and kisses. A silly furry face to brighten a routine day. Deanna Tuley and her Golden Retriever, Penny, are an incredible example of the restorative power of petting a calm, affectionate dog who accepts everything about a person without judgment.
Deana describes Penny as independent and sweet. Her doggy smile calms fears, lowers blood pressure and spreads joy wherever she goes.
Deanna is an Air Force veteran who learned about Delta Society therapy dogs when she was stationed in Washington state. Seattle was the home to Delta Society (renamed Pet Partners), one of the original therapy dog programs in the country. She began volunteering with her first therapy dog, Sophie after she retired from the Air Force and moved to Colorado. When she learned about the establishment of the American Red Cross Animal Visitation program at Evans Army Community Hospital in 2009, she and Sophie joined the team.
As the lead volunteer for the Red Cross Animal Visitation team in central Colorado, Deanna’s role has expanded to encompass bringing dogs to military picnics, holiday dinners and the Transition Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS). She says Penny loves to put on her Red Cross vest and meet new people. Penny and the other canine volunteers seem to sense what a person needs and are eager to provide comfort or joy. Penny has motivated isolated soldiers to open up with other patients, distracted children waiting for a sibling to get a procedure, and comforted a soldier who could not be home for Christmas. In one especially poignant story, one of Deanna’s first therapy dogs visited an unresponsive elderly woman. As Deanna and her dog, Sophie were ending the visit, the dog did a spin to say goodbye. To the astonishment of everyone in the room, the woman lifted a hand and whispered, ‘Bye Bye, Sophie’.
Deanna wishes that more people knew about Red Cross programs for the armed forces. She cites the relative obscurity of programs for homeless vets or getting emergency messages to soldiers overseas. She knows that her own work with the animal visitation program provides a sense of connection that many veterans, active-duty soldiers, and family members wouldn’t otherwise have.
She repeats the word, ‘uplifting’, when she talks about her role and she is eager to see what the post-COVID-19 future brings to the animal visitation program.